Unchanging Sky
by Arcturus360p
Summary: AU - Years ago, Yamato met that wimpy kid on the playground, and by some twist of fate, they met again in middle school. Now, this kid has been pestering him all the time, as he tries to get under his skin. However, he had to admit that he had shown Yamato some wonderful things too.


**A/N:** _ **This is the first fic that I ever posted or the first fic that I ever finished for that matter I want to thank all the friends who helped me out here. Hahaha. I wouldn't have finished this if it weren't for you guys. Thanks to my lovely beta, bleedingmaroon. Love you, girl. Well, I hope you enjoy this.**_

Yamato was bored. There was nothing unusual happening today as he expected. This day was the same as always, uninteresting, boring and time consuming. Yamato slowly closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and drummed his fingers silently on his wooden desk. The noises inside the classroom started to merge into a soft background sound.

Yamato couldn't stop from frowning when one of his classmates stuttered while answering a simple science question. Honestly, was everyone in his class was as dumb as that?

The lessons were relatively easy. Yamato did not even need to listen and give his full attention to any of their teachers. It will only be a matter of time before he accelerates in the next grade. Being in this school was really just a big waste of time for him. He could do something more productive than watching his classmates which had far inferior intelligence try to cope up with the lesson being taught to them.

As soon as the school bell rang, he packed up his things and started walking out of the teacher glared at him as he passed by, but he just ignored it. The school bell just rang. He's free to do whatever he wants, right?

No one dared to talk to him nor asked him to 'hang out' after class. He was intimidating despite his small stature. It's not that he'd even accept their invitation, anyway. He got lot of better things to do aside from hanging out with the likes of them.

The temperature was getting warmer as soon as he stepped out of the school building. Day by day the temperature got a little bit warmer. Summer was officially here, and he hated it. He was even resisting the urge to roll up his sleeves and loosen his bow tie.

As Yamato neared the playground that he passed by every day, he heard some taunting voices, "Hey nerd!" It was then followed by a loud, mocking laugh. Curiosity got ahead of him. He silently followed the voices until he reach the playground.

"Why won't you do our project for us, since you're smart and all?" a second voice piped up.

Yamato finally arrived at the scene, and saw a black-haired kid, his eyes cast on the ground. He was surrounded by three more kids, and by his estimate, they were more or less a year older than the first kid. The black-haired kid let out a chuckle as he looked up to meet the eyes of the tallest of the kids who were surrounding him. Though he was trying to hide it, it's quite obvious that he was nervous.

"I'm sorry, I ca-," the kid did not even finish his sentence as a fist landed on his cheek.

"What are you saying, again? I can't hear you, wimp!" the black haired kid recoiled a little and rubbed his cheek. "I. Can't. Do. It. Well, I can, but I won't."

The tallest one, upon hearing this, clenched his jaw. "You heard him." As if it was a signal, one of the kids pushed the smaller kid with enough force to bring him to the ground. The other two proceeded on kicking him while he was down.

These people irritated the silver haired that much. These people were a bunch of trash that could not even do their own project. A frown worm its way on his forehead, crinkling the smooth skin in there.

How hard could the scums' project be, anyway? If they were asking someone to do a simple project for them, then they were no better than dregs, and if they actually beat up someone because they refused, they were even lesser than that.

He found himself walking towards the scene. They stopped kicking the kid when they heard a footstep coming towards them. Their heads snapped at Yamato's direction and a menacing smirk stretched across the lips of the tallest kid.

"Well, another chump? Oh, he's from that school for rich kids. Why don't you go and buy us some drinks? We're kinda thirsty here," their leader walked to him and tried to daunt him off by showing that he's definitely taller than him too. Yamato narrowed his eyes at him.

" _Chump? How dare you, trash? You don't have a slight idea who you were talking to._ _"_

Yamato did not say anything, however. He was just mentally cursing them all.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" the second one and the third one approached him as well. Yamato's eyes then met the kid's who was still slumped on the ground. The pale kid with dark colored hair was wounded and matching with few bruises. Yamato was expecting him to run away now that they were not after him, but for some reason he didn't.

"Do you want to end up like him, huh?" the kid that he assumed as the leader grabbed his shoulder.

Yamato shoved his hand away almost instantly. "How dare you touch me, disgusting scum?" he spat out like venom. Yamato irritably brushed the invisible lint left on his shoulder by the tall kid.

The 'leader' clicked his tongue and growled. "You bastard!" he then aimed a punch at Yamato, but he effortlessly dodged it. The assailant missed his footing and ended up having his face on the ground.

He ended up having a bleeding nose and a wound in his forehead. Blood started to run from the open wound down to his face.

Yamato smirked at his failure. Growling, he got up and tried to punch him again. This time, however, Yamato caught his fist and kneed him hard in the stomach. He fell to the ground and clutched his stomach.

"My father will definitely hear of this, you bastard," the thugs' leader started hiccupping.

Yamato, despite having a straight face right now, was laughing inside because he had not done anything yet. Half of these injuries were bought to him by himself. This piece of trash thinks that he was strong.

"My father's a sergeant, you shit! I'll remember your fucking face!" he was saying this as if it'd scare him. He had to do better than that. The fallen kid gaze went to Yamato's school ID dangling on the silver haired neck.

The other kid's face contorted in a mix of shock and horror. "Shit! I-I'm sorry!" he got on his knees and bowed towards Yamato, his head on the ground. The other two seemed to be petrified on their places, seeing their leader bowing his head in apology after being beaten down.

Yamato glared at them and they started running. The trash on the ground picked himself up and started running with his tail between his legs. He's apparently not very good at it too. He even tripped.

"Hmph," he swiftly spun around and made his way to his apartment not very far from there now.

"Hey," the black-haired kid stood up, and dusted himself off. Yamato didn't even look back, he just continued to walk. The black-haired kid ran after him. "Thanks for your help back there." Yamato looked at him from his peripheral vision and noticed how scrawny this kid was. He was even taller than him.

"I didn't intend to help you. Those kinds of people aggravate me," he simply replied matter of factly.

The black haired kid laughed. "Still, I thank you. I'm Hibiki Kuze, by the way," 'Kuze' introduced himself.

"I don't remember asking for it," Yamato didn't slow down in walking. In fact, he started to walk a little faster and lengthening his pace.

"Ow, sheesh. You walk fast," Kuze grumbled, trying to keep pace with Yamato.

" _Why do_ _n't you_ _stop following_ _me_ _, then?_ _"_

Yamato the stopped on the front of his apartment. A two-storey unit that's too big for someone who was living alone. He started living alone since last year; his father says that he better to learn how to stand on his own as soon as possible. His father still supports him in monetary matters, though.

"Wow, you live here, Yamato?" Kuze's blue eyes were shimmering with awe, but more importantly...

"How did you know my name?" Yamato demanded. He was caught off guard for a second.

Hibiki blinked twice before cheekly responding and tilting his head a little bit towards his side. "Your school I.D.," he pointed to the identification card hanging innocently on Yamato's neck.

"It's Hotsuin to you. We're not friends," the silver haired snapped and the other kid was taken aback. Hibiki's mood was back after a few microseconds, however. "Okay! I surely hope we'll be friends someday, though."

" _How can someone be in good mood after being_ _directly discouraged_ _like that?_ _"_ Yamato thought. He took his card key from his knapsack and opened the gate.

"Bye! I hope we meet again!" Hibiki said in a cheery voice as he waved his right arm enthusiastically on Yamato's retreating back.

That night, Yamato was reading a book about geomagnetism, when he heard the creaking sound his front door made. He already knew what it meant. Yamato walked out of his room and went downstairs.

He wasn't mistaken; it was his father. With him was a young woman with dark navy blue hair. She bowed slightly and greeted him with a "Good evening." He wasn't expecting a 'good' evening while his father was here.

His father closed the distance between them and Yamato froze in his place. "I heard what happened, Yamato. You got into a needless fight," his father began in an eerily calm voice. He could guess how his father knew about it so immediately. The dumb trash mentioned that his father was a sergeant.

However, Yamato didn't talk back. He'd only make it worse if he did. "You shouldn't stick your nose to other people's business, Yamato. For how many times do I have to tell you that?" His father raised his hand and Yamato winced almost immediately.

"General Hotsuin," the woman interrupted in a worried tone.

"Sako... This is a familial matter," he said in a low, warning tone.

She obviously shrunk back. Yamato was now expecting to be hit, but nothing came. "Don't do that again," his father said before pacing out of the apartment. Sako bowed slightly and followed him out of the apartment.

Yamato realized that he has been holding his breath for a while now. He swallowed the lump on his throat and sighed. He motioned for the door that his father left wide open and locked it. Everyone knew of the surname Hotsuin, maybe except for the dark haired kid he met a while ago. As a matter of fact, he was the first one who didn't cower away, when he knew his name.

The Hotsuin family was known for holding high ranks in the Japan's military forces. They were known for their skills in both planning and combat. Of course, he was planning to enter a military school when he comes to age. He was a Hotsuin, after all.

" _Don't trust anyone. You must discard away your emotions; emotions will only prevent you from thinking rationally._ _"_ His father's words once again rang in his head.

He went back upstairs and turned off the lampshade, hoping that he could just sleep it off. However, his father's words kept haunting him again.

This day was the last day of the term, but still, nothing piqued his interest. His teacher was babbling something he already knew about. Yamato's eyes were fixed on the clock. It was ten minutes before four. Again, he was tapping his fingers impatiently on the wooden table.

Yamato's eyes traveled back to the blackboard. One of his classmates was still struggling to compute for that easy math question. It was basic algebra.

The teacher gave a resigned sigh, and called Yamato's attention. "Hotsuin, can you answer this question for us?" she asked in a very gentle voice that annoyed Yamato. It felt like her voice was slowly grating his brain.

Though, she's making an effort to make her students learn, she's very inefficient, still. A teacher's responsibility is to make their students learn. That's the end goal. If they could not do that, then they could resign now.

"It's 32," he said in a bland tone, without even standing up.

The kid who was standing in the front of the class for at least ten minutes was finally saved from his embarrassment. He ran off back to his seat.

"Yes, it is," the teacher was obviously delighted that finally someone got it right. "But can you show us how you got it?"

Yamato stood up and walked towards the blackboard. He picked up a random chalk on the box and wrote the solution with nimble fingers. As soon as he finished writing, the school bell rang and his classmates wanted to get out as much as he did. He returned the chalk back carelessly and dusted his hands off. He took his bag and went out of the classroom, as well.

As he passed by the playground again, the children he met yesterday were there again. This time, the dark haired kid, he don't even care to remember the other kids name, was holding a kitten, and its caramel fur was wet.

From his position, he could smell kerosene and he saw one of them holding an empty bottle. "Give us the cat, now, nerd!" the tallest kid who still had a bandage on his forehead demanded.

The black-haired kid took a step back while quivering a little. From what he can asses in the situation, these kids were planning to burn the kitten alive and Kuze was trying to protect the kitten. This time, however, he didn't plan to meddle, he just keep on walking.

One of the kids had noticed his presence. "I-it's him!" he said in a quivering voice, as if Yamato was a monster. He didn't know why were they so scared, he barely did anything. They dropped whatever it was they were holding and started running. Even the tallest kid didn't hesitate and started to run as fast as his feet could at the sight of him.

Yamato was supposed to be offended by that, but he wasn't. He doesn't care about what those dregs think, after all. He was about to continue to walk when the black hair kid ran after him. "Hey, thanks for your help Yamato... er Hotsuin," the blue eyed kid corrected himself before Yamato does. "I didn't do anything," he replied coldly.

"Still..." Yamato held up his hand, effectively stopping him from talking. "If you want to protect something, you at least have to be strong enough to do it," he said, as he proceeded to walk to his apartment. Oddly enough, the black haired kid didn't follow him. He just stood there, as he held the mewing kitten in his arms.

Hibiki quietly opened the door to their house. It's dark, so it meant that his mom isn't home yet. It's not like he minded that; he knew that his mom was struggling to raise him on her own, but it'd still be trouble for him if she got home first.

Hibiki wasn't so sure if she'd let him keep the kitten, but he knew if he pleaded hard enough, she'd agree. She can't resist his million-dollar smile, anyway.

After closing the door, removing his shoes, and turning on the lights he proceeded to find a basket and placed the kitten in there. "Stay there, okay? I'll prepare a bath for you," Hibiki patted the kitten gently. The kitten yawned and lay down.

He ran off to the bathroom, adjusted the heater on the tub, and turned on the faucet. As a matter of fact, he wanted to take a bath as well. They both reek of gasoline. The kitten goes first, though. He wouldn't want the cute kitty to get sick.

After he made sure that the water temperature was just right, he turned off the faucet and fetched the kitten. The kitten didn't show any kind of resistance even while taking a bath. The kitten must have liked Hibiki already. He took a white towel and carefully wrapped the kitten with it to dry the kitten up. He placed down the kitten on the white bathroom tiles. The caramel feline behaved in its position and purred softly.

"Ah! I should get Mom's blow dryer. I don't want you to get sick. Stay there, okay?" he swiftly went out of the bathroom and went into his mom's room. He looked through each and every cabinet and it took him almost ten minutes before finding it. He fixed everything back to its place and as he stepped outside the room, he heard their door open.

"Hibiki, I'm home!" his mom said in her usual cheery voice, despite being tired from work.

Hibiki almost dropped the blow dryer for he was too startled. His mother blinked twice when he saw Hibiki holding her hair dryer.

"O-oh hey, Mom!" he laughed nervously. His mother narrowed her eyes and when she opened her mouth to speak, Hibiki cut her off. "I found a kitten, mom. I just need this to dry the kitten's fur off. It's abandoned and it has nowhere else to go... I can keep him, right?" he flashed that smile which works on his mom all the time.

His mom sighed as she removed her sandals. "It's okay, as long as you'll be responsible for it. You know I'm too busy to take care of it."

With that, Hibiki's blue eyes sparkled. That was more than enough.

Hibiki was sitting on the sofa, fanning himself off. The AC broke down at a wrong time and the temperature was unholy. "Ugh! I'm dying!" he grumbled at no one in particular. When stood up to take something from the fridge, the kitten he adopted nudged his leg as it was trying to grab his attention.

"Oh, hey! What's up Nyamato?" He really named it from someone who saved him twice, even though he claims that he didn't do anything.

He really wanted to be that silver-haired kid's friend. Whenever he had a chance to look at his eyes, he caught some streak of loneliness on it. He just wanted to help him back. Well, he's a little lonely too.

He had a friend named Daichi, but he moved away a year ago. It doesn't mean that they weren't friends anymore, though. He remembered receiving a letter from him last Christmas.

Hibiki's mom was caring, but she has been working twice her usual workload ever since his father died, and he barely even sees her. He understands that, though.

The kitten meowed in a higher pitch, getting Hibiki's attention again. "Oh, sorry. Are you hungry?" he crouched down and patted the kitten's head. In return, the kitten rubbed his head to him and Hibiki smiled.

"I'll get you some milk, okay?" he stood up again and went for the fridge. If their electric bill wouldn't shot up when he left the fridge door open, then he would have done it. Their fridge doesn't have much in it, but he was very much delighted when he found out that there was still some watermelon left.

He took the last watermelon slice and the carton of fresh milk from the fridge and rested both on the counter. It took him a few more seconds before finally closing the fridge door. Hibiki was indulging the cool air it gives off and he felt a little disappointed when he had to close it.

He took Nyamato's feeding bowl and poured some fresh milk to it. The kitten was sitting next to him, wagging its tail slowly. The kitten rubbed his head on his leg affectionately. Well, a few weeks ago, the kitten has been really cold to him. It won't even eat, and it was a little hostile. Eventually, the kitten started to like him.

He placed the bowl down and the kitten started to drink the milk. Hibiki crouched down and smiled as he observed the kitten.

It was one Sunday morning. Hibiki was watching a random cartoon show about a boy with a white bear hat, and a yellow dog with some sort of stretchy powers. In that episode, the boy was having a misunderstanding with his girlfriend - he learned the term somewhere. The flame girl was really upset when the boy lied to her, but oddly enough, she didn't look angry, unlike a few minutes ago. She was just... upset. He realized that lying could damage relationships - whatever kind of relationship it is. As the end credits were flashing on the screen, his mom called his attention.

"Hibiki! I received a letter from them. They approved of your transfer and they are even willing to give you a scholarship," his mom was holding a blue envelope, with a recognizable red stamp. His mom was obviously happy and with that he's very happy too.

He can't really move from his seat to get the letter from his mom, because the kitten he adopted - well, it's not a kitten anymore- was resting on his lap, snuggling to him. His mom approached him instead. He reexamined the letter and pinched himself to ensure that it wasn't a dream, and thankfully, it wasn't.

They had to move to Osaka because of his mom's job, that's why he had to transfer to a different school too. He made a few friends in Tokyo, that's why he felt a little sad when he had to leave.

The middle school he planned to go to was one of the best around, but the fees were quite expensive. That's why they had to find a scholarship. His mom was really trying to give him the best, and he wanted to give her the best, too.

He hadn't seen, nor heard about the kid who helped him back then. It has been a long while since Hibiki last saw him. Well, since he's in Osaka now, the chances of seeing him again got even slimmer.

"I'm going to buy us some ice cream to celebrate!" his mother's cheery voice snapped him out of his line of thinking. "Okay, mom! Take care!"

He was already in the second year of middle school. However, everything was still dull as always. He transferred back to Osaka for middle school. Yamato doesn't care where he lived. It's more or less the same, anyway.

It was still quite early, so there are still a few students around the school. Yamato decided to go to their club room, though it was more of 'his' club room. There were no other members except him.

Well, there were at least four more members here before, but ever since their club president got kicked out of the school, the number of members whittled down until he's the only one left.

He had high expectations for that club, but alas, the club was no good. Their club president was very lazy, and actually created the club simply because he wanted something more to put on his achievements list.

The main reason why he joined the club was because he was very interested in the subject and their school wanted that each student have at least one club. The others joined the club because of the founder. They just wanted to be in the same club as he was. It was a good thing that he wasn't at this school anymore. His very presence irked Yamato off.

He opened the door to the club room, and sat down on one of the wooden chairs. It was quite comfortable at this room, actually. It's too bad that he had to give it up soon if he doesn't find even one member. He might as well give it up. He doesn't need members who don't share the same interest.

They actually had very good Astronomy reference books here. Their adviser, Al Saiduq, brought them. He also had a few intellectual arguments with him, but right now, he's on leave for some reason.

He sat there and read for a little while.

Apparently, they had a new classmate. He was a boy with black hair, and bright blue eyes. Somehow, Yamato cannot shake off the feeling that he have seen him before.

After writing the kanji of his name on the board, the new comer introduced himself, and then bows. "I'm Kuze Hibiki. You are free to call me Hibiki. I really like sweets, but dango is my absolute favorite." He stated a few more things about him.

Yamato stopped listening to him halfway through. He drummed his fingers on the table again. It became a mannerism of his.

"Okay, Hibiki. Go sit next there," the teacher pointed to an empty seat on the other side of the room. For the brief moment, their eyes met. He noticed that he looked like he had seen a ghost or some monster. He was suddenly amused. Maybe he had really met him before.

Kuze went to his assigned seat, but Yamato felt like he was still staring at him. The teacher proceeded on starting the lesson for today. As usual, it was nothing that Yamato didn't know about.

It was lunch break right now and his classmates were surrounding him. They were asking a lot of questions about where he lived and what kinds of things he liked. Some are already asking him to join their clubs. Well, he's going to join in a club, of course, since it was a school rule and all. He's just unsure of what kind of club he actually wanted.

When his classmates finally left him, Hibiki tried to find 'him'. He never really had a chance to talk to him. He thought that he was familiar. Hibiki decided to ask someone. "Hey, have you seen where did he go?" he asked the girl who was seated beside him. "Oh? Him? You really wanted to talk to him? He's a Hotsuin! Didn't you recognize?" Okay. So, he's actually the one he's looking for.

"I think he's on Astronomy club room," she said. " _There's an Astronomy club here? Interesting._ _"_

"I think he eats whoever goes in there," she added. " _Really now? He can't be that bad._ _"_

"Can you tell me where the Astronomy club room is?" he asked with a smile. The girl's face turned a little red. For some reason, he had that effect on people.

"Uh, are you sure?" she hesitated for a little while. "Well, I think it's on the third floor. It is on the second to the last door. Why do you..." she barely finished when he cut her off. "Okay! Thanks!" he ran off outside the classroom.

He went upstairs and headed straight for the Astronomy club room. It didn't take him long to find it. There was a signage outside the door. He was contemplating whether to knock or not, but after a few minutes, he finally decided on knocking.

No one opened the door, so he just decided on opening the door just a little to see if someone was actually inside, and he wasn't mistaken. There was someone in there, reading a thick, hardbound book. There was a swirl of weird emotions inside him. He didn't know if he felt excited or nervous.

Yamato's head snapped up when he heard someone knocking. It was quite unusual. It was only him and Saiduq who uses this room and the club adviser was on leave for several months, now. Yamato didn't move from his seat, though. It was probably some of his other schoolmates who were playing pranks at him and he's not going to fall for it.

After a few moments, the sliding door opened up a few inches and he saw someone peeking from the small opening. It was the transfer student. _"_ _What was he doing here?_ _"_ He closed the book and placed it down.

The door opened a little wider and the other student got in. There was a familiar spark in his eyes when he saw the whole room. "This constellation map is really precise!" Kuze, if Yamato remembered his name right, was the first one who broke the silence. Well, he wouldn't put it there if it wasn't precise, but Yamato was a little amused that he can tell.

Kuze made his way to the shelves and examined the books there. "Dude, can I borrow some of your books? They are an interesting read," he said in a very excited tone.

Someone else was actually interested in these books, huh? However, he still had to abide by his own rules. "Sorry, but these books are for club members only. You are not even allowed in here." He was also wondering how he even knew about this place so immediately.

"Let me join your club then, Yamato... er... I mean Hotsuin. You don't like me calling you by your first name," the brunet scratched the back of his head and smiled a little. A vague memory from years ago flashed back. He remembered that kid on the playground who can still smile after being beaten up. They actually met again, huh?

A small part of him didn't want to lose this place and for that to happen, he had to recruit at least one more member by the end of the week. He seems really interested too, so why not give him a chance?

Still, he had to follow the protocols he established in recruiting a new member. Their founder didn't even have one, so they had trash club members. When their former founder and club president got kicked out of the school, he took over. He established some rules and protocols, but since they can't keep up with him, they eventually left the club. He doesn't need those kinds of members anyway.

"Hmm. Yes. However, first of all, take a seat there," Yamato pointed to an empty seat in front of him. This room only had a small square table, with a single chair on each side. The room is mostly occupied with shelves and constellation maps.

The brunet immediately followed his order and sat down. He took out some sheets of paper from the drawer next to him. "Wait, there's an entrance exam?" Kuze seems so appalled about it.

"Well, you are always free to back out if you want. I'm not forcing you to be here," Yamato crossed his arms.

"No wait! I didn't say I won't take it. I was just a little shocked, that's all," he huffed and snatched the papers from him. The papers were creased a little, but they weren't torn anywhere. Those questions were easy, anyway. If he cannot answer it, then he shouldn't be here on the first place.

Hibiki was really shocked that there was some sort of entrance exam, but luckily, he knew most of the answers to the questions by heart. They were pretty easy. Well, he forgot some of it, but he knew that he answered most of the questions correctly.

They had at least ten more minutes before the class starts again. He anxiously waited for Yamato to finish reading his paper. "You did better than I expected, Kuze," he finally said and Hibiki was not able to resist the urge to hug him. Yamato immediately shoved him off, but that doesn't douse his happiness.

"We'll continue the due processes later, the class will start soon," He placed the paper under a paperweight and motioned out of the club room and Hibiki immediately followed him.

"Come on, Yamato. You haven't eaten anything yet, have you?" Hibiki was nagging him for almost fifteen minutes now.

He stopped insisting that he should call him by his last name. It's a futile effort. It has been weeks since he joined the club, and it has been weeks since he was pestering him on a lot of things.

One afternoon, when they went home together, Kuze literally shoved that dubious-looking foodstuff in his mouth called takoyaki. He remembered looking at it with a scornful glare, but as much as he hated on admitting it, he liked it very much. He wouldn't mind eating again some other time.

Yamato looked up from the book he was reading and glared at Hibiki. He just smiled, however. Yamato was wondering why his glares were ineffective. Most of his classmates would just shrink away.

"I asked Mom to prepare some extra," he said. His gaze went to the bento he brought in the clubroom with him. Basically, it looks like a typical Japanese bento that he used to buy when he doesn't have time to cook. When you were living on your own, you ought to learn how to cook. His cooking was decent, at least.

"I also snagged an extra pair of chopsticks," he handed it to Yamato.

Yamato hesitated for a little while, but then, he heard his own stomach grumbling. His cheeks flushed a tint of pink and that's when he snatched the chopsticks from him. Kuze didn't make a comment on his grumbling stomach, because if he did, he might smack him.

He picked one of the chicken strips and tasted it. For some reason, it tasted better than what he usually eats. It looks nothing special, but it tasted quite different. He ate the whole thing at once and proceeded on tasting the other kinds of food Kuze had on his bento. They all tasted better than what he used to buy.

"Was your mother a chef?" he asked after swallowing his food.

"Nope, she's a store manager." It took him a few moments to realize what Yamato meant. "My mom's cooking is delicious, right? If you want, you can come to our house on a Sunday," he offered. Kuze took his own piece of chicken and ate it.

Yamato didn't give a response to that. The other didn't press either. They just ate their lunch quietly after that.

After school, Kuze dragged him in Shinsekai. He said he wanted to check something out. Yamato didn't know what made him agree, but he found himself roaming around the streets of Osaka wherein he ate takoyaki. The other wanted him to try the other street foods there. Kuze seemed to be very shocked when Yamato told him that he never ate takoyaki before.

"You actually live here and you haven't tried Osaka's street foods? Even I tried them as soon as we moved in here," he remembered him say.

Well, all of his time was devoted to studying. He shouldn't be out here with him right now, as a matter of fact. Right now, he was handing him a skewer of kushikatsu. Kuze explained that it was a deep fried meat and vegetable skewer.

Again, there was a moment of hesitation, but Yamato didn't wait until Kuze shoved it again in his mouth like a child again. Even for its cheap price, it tasted really good.

"Well?" the brunet asked expectantly. He swallowed his food before replying. "It's not bad," he said honestly. Kuze's eyes brightened up and smiled. "See? I told you that you'll like it." Yes. He did. Was Yamato that easy to read? He felt a little anxious about that.

They took a stroll around Shinsekai a little more before Yamato decided that they should go home. It was the first time that he lost track of time. It was actually getting dark.

When they parted ways in the crossroad, the sun has completely set. It was the first time that he got home at this time. He doesn't go anywhere else after school. It was a waste of time, but for some reason, he actually felt a little enjoyment today.

He unlocked the door to his apartment and flicked the switch to the lights. The dark living room was immediately illuminated. Yamato removed his shoes and placed it on the rack. For some reason, he observed that the silence in his apartment was deafening.

He turned on the television, even though he's uninterested in whatever it's showing. He loosened his necktie and made his way to the bedroom to change his clothes.

Stargazing in Osaka was a little hard because of light pollution. However, there are a few places wherein you can observe the sky perfectly, and one of them was in the school rooftop.

They received news that they might be able to observe a comet tonight. Even though there was no assurance, that they could even see it, Kuze pleaded that they sneak in the school rooftop that night. They'd be in trouble if they got caught, but he reasoned that it's literally a once in a lifetime experience and it'd definitely be worth it if ever they see it. After a few minutes of pleading, he finally gave in.

They climbed off the school gate, which wasn't much of a task for the both of them. Yamato couldn't believe that he's actually going against the rules. It felt like they were doing something illegal. Right now, the brunet was trying to on the lock.

"Where did you learn how to pick up a lock?" Yamato asked.

"Shush. You're breaking my concentration," the other chastised.

Yamato glared at him for telling him to shut up, but Kuze wasn't looking anyway. He almost pouted when Kuze spoke up again. "Yosh! I did it!"

" _He actually did?_ _",_ Yamato thought slightly suprised. The school's security must be trash then. He assumed that there were hidden cameras here, though. They both wore black clothes and wore caps to hide their hair. They looked like they were thieves. It's not like they were going to rob anything, but still, they'd be in trouble if anyone finds out.

"I watched a video on MeTube on how to pick up a lock," HIbiki answered Yamato's earlier question.

"MeTube?" he asked.

The other gave him an appalled expression just like before. "You mean, you never used the internet?!"

They said the internet was a great source of knowledge, however, he preferred books in its physical form. He heard that the things listed there were inaccurate too.

"Never mind," the brunet mercifully dismissed the topic. He slowly opened the door and they both made their way to the rooftop.

"Comet 358p will pass by Arcturus at around 10:56. That's what I've read," Kuze stated. Yamato nodded and held his hand out expectantly, asking for the binoculars hanging on Hibiki's neck.

Yamato got these from his father and asked Kuze to hold on to it for a little while. He gave it to him obediently and Yamato searched for Arcturus in the sky. It didn't take him long to find it, though. Arcturus was the one of the brightest stars in the northern hemisphere, and he always knew where to find the constellation of Bootes.

It's already 10:50 and it's only a matter of time before it supposedly appears. The comet's magnitude was said to be high enough to be seen with binoculars alone.

"Hey, what do you think shall we do while waiting?" the brunet asked as Yamato placed the binoculars down. "Six minutes isn't much of a long time," he deadpanned. "Well, it is, especially if you are just hearing crickets around."

"I can hear you whiny voice, Hibiki," he said with a small smirk.

"Hey! I'm not whi..." he paused for a while and then started chuckling. Yamato narrowed his eyes in curiosity.

"Why are you laughing?" Yamato demanded.

"Yamato, that's... It's nothing Yamato. Don't mind it," the dark haired teen smiled. For some reason, he was really delighted.

Yamato didn't press any longer, though. It was already 10:58. He immediately pulled up the binoculars to his eyes and... It was truly... majestic.

"Hey. Can I borrow the binoculars for a sec?" Hibiki piped up. Yamato was still speechless when he handed him the binoculars. "Wow. It's really there! I feel lucky to be alive at this moment!"

Every year, there were comets that can be visible with the right equipment such as powerful telescopes. Since they only had the basic refracting telescope in the club, there were only a few ones he can observe. This comet was actually bright enough that they could even use these binoculars.

Even though he had observed some comets before, it felt different today. It was unexplainable.

"Yes. Me too..." the words were out before he could even think about it. "There'll be a meteor shower too sometime around this year. It'll be around the end of September, I think? Are you up for it?" Yamato did not even hesitate. "Of course."

It was a holiday today, and there were no classes. It has been a week since their comet observation at the school rooftop.

He was not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing that no one found out that the two of them snuck out to the rooftop. Apparently, the cameras were not functioning at the time. They were paying a huge sum of money as their tuition fees and they cannot even maintain the security properly. On the other hand, they were both saved from the trouble of trying to explain themselves.

Yamato decided to study, as he always does in days like these. Just then, his doorbell rang. He was not expecting anyone. A part of him feared that it was his father, but then again, his father would not even ring the doorbell. He would just go straight inside. He still went for the door, though and looked through the peephole.

It was Hibiki. He unlocked the door with a frown. "What do you want?" he half-snapped.

Hibiki did not reply immediately, for he was scanning him from head to toe. "Wow. This is the first time I actually saw you wearing casual clothes. Even though we we're wearing all black when we went to the school rooftop, they still looked pretty fancy," he commented.

"Are you just here to comment about the way I dress? Then, you may leave now."

"Why the heck are you so grumpy? I just wanna invite you to our house. You know, for lunch?" If Yamato took up on this offer, he would not have to cook lunch for himself. Hibiki's mother cooks fine, too. It wouldn't be too bad, would it?

"Hmm. Very well, then. I shall change my..." Hibiki cut him off immediately. "Nah. You look just fine. Let's just go!" Yamato just sighed. "Okay. Just let me put on my shoes."

Yamato did not know why this cat was hissing at him even though he was not doing anything to it. However, this cat looks a little familiar.

"Now, Nyamato be nice to our guest," Hibiki picked the cat up and placed it on his lap. The cat, the hostile creature ready to scratch Yamato with its dangerous claws a while ago, was now snuggling against its master.

More importantly, however – what did he name that cat? Did he mishear him? If he wanted to know, then he should ask. "What did you name the cat?"

"Oh..." Hibiki let out a nervous laugh. Yamato glared at him, and for the first time, he actually retracted a little. "Uh... You know..."

Hibiki was the luckiest kid alive. "Hibiki, Yamato, lunch is served!" Hibiki's mother called from the dining room. "Okay! Lunch time!" Hibiki stood up almost too quickly.

Yamato didn't know why was he so desperate to dismiss the topic. Maybe he really heard him right. Why would he name a cat like that?

Hibiki gently placed the cat down. "Behave, okay?" The cat seemed to understand him, and went up on the corner and curled itself up. Was it sulking? He does not know.

They went to their dining room. Their house was not as big as Yamato's apartment, but for some reason, his apartment felt a lot more... stifling. Hibiki's mother served some curry and some ebichiri. This family must have liked spicy foods. He doesn't hate spicy foods, per se, but he's not particularly fond of it either.

"I'm glad you agreed to come here, Yamato. I'm really happy to meet a friend of Hibiki," Hibiki's mom began.

It was midnight, when Yamato's cell phone rang. Who would text him in this unholy time? Grumbling, he fumbled for his phone in the bedside table. He winced a little as his eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness.

It was Hibiki. He shouldn't have wondered. Yamato was a little annoyed that his sleep was disrupted. Maybe giving him his phone number was a bad idea. He even sends him some stupid jokes every now and then. Yamato also found his excessive use of those 'emoticons' annoying.

He wouldn't read this message right now. He'd do it later when he wakes up for school. It's probably another idiotic, useless message that he'd immediately delete after he read it. Sleep came back to him almost immediately.

He was just about to leave for school when he picked up his phone from the bedside table. He just remembered that he had an unread message from Hibiki last night. He almost forgot about it. Yamato's jaw slacked a little when he read Hibiki's text message.

Received 12:01 AM: Happy birthday, Yamato! *\^o^/*

How did he know? Yamato does not remember telling him the date of his birth. Yamato could guess on how Hibiki knew. Maybe he asked someone that could know. Hibiki could get anyone do whatever he wanted.

Compared to other people who hold the same amount of power, his father does not celebrate birthdays extravagantly. As a matter of fact, he doesn't celebrate birthdays at all. His father thinks that birthday celebrations were just a waste of time and money.

He doesn't disagree on that, however. Some cultures don't even celebrate birthdays. That's why no one really greets him on his birthday. He placed his phone on the bag and sighed.

Apparently, that text message he sent him at 12 midnight was not the last of it. As he entered the club room for the lunch break, Hibiki dashed forward to give him a hug. "Happy birthday, Yamato!" he greeted him again. The two of them almost fell over, but luckily, Yamato regained his balance immediately.

The club room was decorated with a few balloons and there was a banner with Hibiki's distinctive handwriting. He wrote it with color pens of assorted colors. This was probably the reason why Hibiki ditched their class before lunch break.

"You didn't have to do this, Hibiki. This was unnecessary."

"Come on, Yamato! Don't be shy," he flashed that cheeky grin of his again.

"He's right, Yamato," he heard a familiar voice from behind.

His head snapped back and found their white-haired club adviser smiling at them. He has that habit of popping out of nowhere. Even Yamato was having a hard time of sensing him. Apparently, he came back from his leave.

"It's you," he deadpanned.

"Yes, it's me," he chuckled softly and patted his head.

"Yeah! He even helped me set up this!" Hibiki piped up as he broke off from the embrace.

"I just went out quickly to buy some cake," he held up the small box that he was holding.

Yamato opened his mouth to speak, but he didn't know what to say. Hibiki caught his hand again and guided him to a seat. Saiduq set down the box of cake on the table too. There weren't much in it, but his eyes glinted when he spotted the takoyaki.

However, before anything else, Yamato wanted to know something. "Why are you doing this?" he couldn't see the reason why they had to celebrate a birthday.

"Why? Because I'm glad that you're born, Yamato!" the brunet smiled. Yamato could not sense a hint of deceit in his voice.

For the first time in his life, someone actually said that to him. He's a Hotsuin. It was expected of him to die for this country. He hated his fate and the fact that he was...

Yamato was snapped out of his train of thought when Hibiki and Saiduq started singing that old 'Happy Birthday' song. He had already opened the box of chocolate cake and set a single candle on it.

As soon as they finished their singing, Hibiki asked him to blow the candle. Yamato hesitated for a little while before blowing it. The small club room was filled with claps and cheers.

"Where are you planning to spend the summer vacation?" Hibiki asked before he took a sip on his milkshake.

Time flies very fast. It has been more than a month since they had that small birthday celebration at the club room. Saiduq had also been hanging out at the club room too. Hibiki enjoyed to watch the two of them play chess.

Yamato hummed before answering. "I'll be in Kyoto for the rest of the summer vacation," he replied, then he took a sip on his own milkshake too.

"Kyoto? What are you going to do there?" Hibiki asked curiously. Well, he heard that Kyoto had amazing sceneries. He wanted to go there sometime too.

"It's none of your business."

"Oh..." Hibiki knew better than to press if Yamato's acting like that.

"Well, I just wanted to invite you to come with us when my mom and I go to the beach. There are a lot of good beaches around here, but it seems that you'll be busy this summer vacation." Honestly, Hibiki was a little upset.

"Yes..." Yamato took a sip on his milkshake again. The reason why he'd go to Kyoto was for his training. His father always schedules trainings during vacations. That's why he didn't have vacations.

"I'll miss you, though," Hibiki mumbled, but Yamato heard it. Yamato found it hard to imagine forty days without anyone pestering him. Maybe he'll miss him a little too.

Hibiki was a little disappointed that Yamato couldn't come with them, but still, he was enjoying his time here. Unlike many other beaches, Tarui Southern Beach wasn't as crowded as others. Well, it's quite harder to get here, and the resort was not as big as others. His mom rented a parasol, but she's still on her laptop, working on something.

He was sitting by the beach, as he felt the cool, summer breeze brush to his cheeks. The scenery was beautiful. As Hibiki took the last bite on his popsicle, he heard a familiar voice called his name. He hadn't heard that voice in years. "Oii, Hibiki!"

His head snapped to the direction of the voice and he can't believe who he saw. It was Daichi. He never thought that out of all places, he'd see Daichi here.

Daichi hugged him and Hibiki hugged him back just to make sure that his old friend was real and he's not daydreaming at all. It has been years. They both bought ice cream as the two of them caught up on each other. Hibiki bought a strawberry flavored ice cream, while Daichi bought chocolate.

Hibiki smiled softly as Daichi gushed on his stories. Apparently, there's this girl that he likes very much. "What about you? Do you like someone?" Daichi had a teasing grin on.

Hibiki pondered on that for a while. Well, he never liked a girl. He some female friends back in the school, but he doesn't look at them the way Daichi looks at the girl he likes. "Nah... I still have yet to find that 'someone'" he shrugged. "Plus, I think you are too young for that, Daichi," he teased him back.

"I'm not a kid anymore, Hibiki," Daichi huffed. "But I think whoever she is, she'll be so lucky," Daichi looked serious this time.

They talked for a few more hours, then played in the sand and the beach. Apparently, both Hibiki and Daichi's moms were also catching up on each other.

It was sunset when they parted. Hibiki took his time to stare at the sea. The sea was reflecting the dark orange light, as the sun set on the horizon. He looked up, and saw that there were already a few stars in the sky. He wished that he could observe the stars from the beachside with Yamato.

This was the first day of the second term, and Hibiki noticed something very unusual. Hibiki usually arrives ten minutes before the bell rang, and he'd find Yamato, sitting on his seat on the other side of the room, reading some book written in complicated kanji. He sometimes wonders what time he usually arrives. Right now, that seat was empty.

Hibiki was suddenly worried. It was very uncharacteristic of Yamato to be late. Did something happen? Did he transfer schools all of a sudden? There were a lot of other negative things in his mind, but he tried to shake it off. Hibiki took his seat first. Their teacher will arrive soon, and he would have to focus.

Their first class was Math and it wasn't a hard subject for him. He hates English, though. He took out his notebook and jotted down the examples the teacher writes on the board. He already knew about that formula, though.

Eventually, his mind drifted off somewhere and just stared at the blackboard blankly. He's just worried about his friend. When he knew that he was living alone, he occasionally asked Yamato to eat lunch at their house during weekends. What if he's sick? No one would take care of him.

"Kuze!" Hibiki blinked twice when the teacher called his name. "Were you listening?" his teacher crossed his arms and looked at him with a stern face.

Hibiki was not listening, but he's not going to say that - unless, he wanted to be sent to detention. He didn't want to soil his school record. "Of course, sir," he smiled.

"Hmph," the teacher didn't believe him for a second, obviously. "Answer this then," the teacher challenged him. Well, the good thing was he knew about that topic. He stood up from his seat and answered the question with much ease. He grinned at the teacher cheekily, knowing that his answer was correct.

The teacher gritted his teeth, and glared at him and passed on a mental message saying, "I'll get you someday, Kuze."

"Good job, Kuze. It seems you were listening, then," the teacher said through a forced smile.

This teacher hated him enough. It seems that he hated Yamato too. Hibiki wondered why he enjoyed making his students suffer.

He went back to his seat and some girls were giggling. "Serves him right," he heard the girl beside him whisper to her other seatmate. The teacher slammed his book hard on the wooden table and all of them straightened up.

"If I hear any of you speak. I'll give a quiz!" he warned. The whole class fell silent as the teacher continued his lesson.

Today seems to be a very long day. Hibiki was tapping his foot impatiently against the tiled floor as he watched the clock. He wanted to check out if Yamato was doing fine. He also wanted to give him the cellphone strap he bought from Tarui. The old lady says that it can ward off evil spirits. It was called the devil's fuge. It sounded cool so he bought it. Daichi bought some too.

He wasn't listening anymore. As least on his previous classes, he managed to take down some notes, but right now, all he wanted was for that bell to ring and when it did, he almost sprinted out of the classroom.

He didn't even care if he almost bumped into the headmaster. The headmaster scolded him for running indoors, but he didn't care for that. Nobody gets expelled for running as long as they don't break something, right?

Yamato's house wasn't that far from their own school, so didn't take him much time after that. He took a few moments to catch his breath before ringing the doorbell. Yamato doesn't usually take this long. Was he even here? He rang the doorbell again and waited. He was about to ring the doorbell again when the door opened.

He saw Yamato in a state he had never seen before. His hair was a complete mess, and he looked even paler than usual. "You don't have to ring the doorbell twice, Hibiki." Even his voice sounded so different in his ears. His eyes were sleepy and he was wearing a thick sweater.

"Are you okay?" Hibiki asked him, and felt Yamato's body temperature by touching his forehead using his own.

Yamato quickly moved a step back. He had a fever. "I'm just... a little tired. Moreover, who do you take me for?" he replied to his earlier question.

" _W_ _hat the hell did he do in Kyoto?_ _"_ Hibiki mused over as he looked worriedly at Yamato.

"Did you take medicine?" he stepped inside without Yamato's permission, then closed the door.

"Again, who do you take me for? I'm Hotsuin Yamato. I can take care of myself. I just need a little rest and you are disturbing me." It was his typical reply.

Hibiki sighed. He shouldn't have expected nothing less from him. "Yes, I'm probably am," he chuckled, then looked around his house. "Wow, your house is bigger than I thought," he mused.

"Yes. Now leave," Yamato demanded and pushed him to the door.

He didn't know why Yamato wanted him to leave so soon. "Wait," he held up his hands and gave Yamato the cellphone strap he bought. Yamato stared at it for a while and as he opened his mouth to speak, Hibiki explained it to him. "It's a cellphone strap. It wards off evil spirits too," he smiled.

"It's the devil's fuge." Yamato spoke up. "It's a type of mistletoe. It was said to be the one used to defeat the immortal summer sun god, Balder," he drawled.

"Oh," was the only thing he could reply. He didn't know that Yamato was into that stuff, but still, he was glad that Yamato didn't transfer or anything. He wasn't able to resist to give Yamato a hug.

"What's with you?" Yamato asked, but he didn't push him off or anything. "I just missed you..." his voice trailed off.

"Go home, now," Yamato demanded. Yamato wouldn't want him to get sick too.

"Okay," Hibiki let him go and smiled. Yamato could take of himself, right?

"Don't forget to take your medicine," Hibiki reminded.

Yamato narrowed his eyes. He pushed Hibiki to the door. "I know how to take care of myself. Go now."

Hibiki waved off his hands before leaving. The next day, when Hibiki arrived at school, he wasn't able to stop himself from smiling. Yamato was on his seat already, and as always, he was reading something.

"...and that concludes our interview with General Hotsuin."

Hibiki's mom immediately turned off the television and Hibiki was just staring at the floor, pondering about what Yamato's father said.

He didn't know much about corruption, but he knew that a militaristic government wouldn't be any better. The people's freedom would be gone. There'd be peace and order, yes., but still...Hibiki shook his head off.

He just stated his opinion about a militaristic government, right? It was because that interviewer asked him about it and he wasn't actually planning on executing it... right?

Nyamato was still curling on the carpet, not caring a single bit. His mother went back to the kitchen and called for him. "Come on, Hibiki. Let's eat." Hibiki stood up from the sofa and followed his mom to the dining room. He wasn't in the mood for dinner.

As he was finished helping his mom clean up the table, his eyes went to the calendar hanged on the wall. It's September 30. For some reason, he felt that it was an important date today. He searched for his memory banks and he almost dropped the plate when he remembered something. He looked at the time and it was 8:30. He still had time.

"Mom! I had to be somewhere!" he quickly placed the dish on the sink and ran for his coat. His mom asked where's he going to, but he didn't answer. He'd be in so much trouble later. He almost tripped on his way out, but he had to hurry. It takes him fifteen minutes if he walks to school. He'd make it in ten, or maybe seven minutes if he ran.

His lungs were about to give out when he can finally see Yamato from a distance. He was leaning on the school gate. He slowed down, little by little, until he finally arrived in the front of the school gate.

"You were late," Yamato crossed his arms.

"Hey... We're still have a few minutes, right?" Hibiki smiled as he tried to catch his breath.

"Yes," Yamato replied, uncrossing his arms. Hibiki noticed that the school gate was already opened.

"I went into the right channels, this time, so it wouldn't be trouble for us. We were lucky that the security guard that time was an irresponsible one. They fired him, I think. I told this new security guard that this was a club activity and he let us in," Yamato explained his unasked question.

"Whatever. Let's just go," Hibiki sprinted off again and Yamato followed.

Well, if they want to make it in time, they had to hurry. They took the stairs two steps at a time and when they finally arrived the school rooftop, Hibiki was trying to catch his breath, and Yamato doesn't even seem to be tired at all. To be fair, Hibiki ran from his house to the school rooftop.

The sky was so perfectly unobstructed by any clouds. They must be really lucky. Yamato moved forward to lean on the metal railing as he waited for the shower to arrive. Hibiki did the same too.

"What are going to wish for?" Hibiki suddenly asked.

"I don't wish things to happen, Hibiki. I make it happen,"

Hibiki should have expected that answer from him. Despite being even younger than Hibiki, he thinks like a mature person. "But you know, there are things that you cannot do on your own power. Sometimes, wishing for something might be the only way," he chuckled softly. "Do you know what I'll wish for? I'll wish that we'll be always like this, yanno, friends."

Yamato was silent. He was biting his cheek. More or less, he knew that Hibiki had heard his father's interview. It was really a proclamation. There would be other politicians who would severely oppose him for that statement, and there would be some that would agree. If his father begins his plans, he doubted that things would come back to this. Things will change drastically.

"Hey! It's starting!" Hibiki piped up and pointed to a particular direction in the sky. Yamato looked up and his eyes widened in the surreal view. It's a little hard to believe that this was not a dream. The meteor shower didn't last long, but after that, Yamato just wished that he had something to wish for.


End file.
